Folding chair



1952 A. F. VANDERMINDEN 2,618,317

V FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 1, 1949 BY/(MW i W end 32 of guard 3|.

guard 3| extends lengthwise of the upper surface of the rear leg member and above the plurality of notches I8 thereof. The central portion 33 is elevated a sufficient distance above the upper surface of member It so that projection 35 may freely travel therebetween. Cross-bar 29 is aflixed to and extends between the strut members 28 and the projections 35 thereof are shown resting in the right hand pair of notches l8.

As shown in Fig. 3 the left end 32 of guard 3| is bent upward adjacent to the left hand notch IS in member 16 whereby projection 35 is pre vented from travelling to the left past the left. end of the guard. Thus the left end 32 may be referred to as the closed end of guard 3!. The central portion 34 of guard 3| passes above the projection 35, as can best be seen by' a comparison of Figs. 3 and 4. Thus when the projections are I located in any pair of notches they may move to a limited extent vertically so as to be disengaged from the notches. They may then move either generally to the left or right along member I6, as viewed in Fig. 1. Movement to the left is limited by the closed end of wire guard 3!. As can best be seen by a comparison of Figs. 3 and 4, the right ends 33 of the guards 3! are bent to the outside vertical surfaces of the members It whereby the movement of projections 35 generally to the right is unrestricted by guard 3|. Thus the right end 33 may be referred to as the open end of guard 3!. Thus by moving projections 35 to the right from under the guard 31, the chair may be collapsed, in the usual manner, for storage. When the chair is erected as shown in Fig. 1, the projections 35 are located in any one of the pairs of notches I8 and are under the guard 3|, it will be seen therefore that backward collapse of the chair is substantially impossible. The presence of the wire guard restricts movement of projections 35 except generally to the right, which produces a forward collapsing of the chair, which is necessary for storage, and which cannot occur when the chair is under load, as by a person sitting therein.

As shown in Fig. 5, a modified form of guard may be afiixed to each of the rear legs I of a folding chair (not entirely shown) the chair be ing of the same type as that shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 5, the modified guard 31 comprises a left end or first portion 38, identically constructed and in like manner afiixed to rear leg l6, as is left The central portion or second portion 40 of the guard 31 extends lengthwise of the upper surface of the rear leg member and above the plurality of notches I 8 thereof. The central portion 40 is elevated a sufficient distance above the upper surface of member I6 so that projections of cross-bar 29 may freely travel therebetween. In addition the central portion is sufficiently long so that cross-bar 29 may move to the right to the end of its possible movement relative to the rear le so that when the chair is completely collapsed forward, the projections 35 are still within the guard. The right end or third portion 39 of the guard 31 has an end bent down from the central portion and driven into the upper surface of the rear legs. It can be seen that both ends of guard 31 are closed, that is, the projections 35 cannot accidentally remove themselves from beneath the guard, and that the central portion is elongated.

The projections, however, are freely movable within the range necessary to erect and adjust the chairs and to deliberately collapse it, but

4 movement of the projections which would permit the chair to collapse backwardly is prevented.

It will, of course, be understood that my invention is applicable to other types of folding chairs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A folding chair comprising a seat frame, a back frame pivoted thereto, a pair of parallel arm members pivoted to said back frame, a pair of parallel, downwardly extending front leg members pivoted to said seat frame and said arm members, a pair of parallel strut members pivoted, to said seat frame and having projections thereon, a pair of parallel, backwardly and downwardly sloping back leg members pivoted to said front leg members and having a plurality of pairs of notches therein, said notches being adapted to receive said projections, and a pair of guard members, one guard member being affixed to each back leg member; the combination of the seat frame, back frame and arm members .being supported at the front by said front leg members and at the back by the strut members and attached projections lyin in one of the pairs of notches of the rear leg members, said projections being disposed to move in a given direction along said rear leg members when the projections are disengaged from the notches and a load is applied generally backward on said back frame, said guard members each comprising a bent wire form having a first portion affixed to the upper surface of one of said back leg members and extending upward therefrom, said first portion being adapted to stop one of said projections against movement in said given direction, and each of said guard members having a second portion continuous with said first portion and extending lengthwise of the upper surface of said back leg member and positioned above said plurality of notches therein, and a third portion continuous with said second portion and having an L shaped portion extending laterally of said second portion and permitting movement of the projection out of operative relation to said guard member.

2. A folding chair comprising a seatfframe, a back frame pivoted thereto, a pair of parallel arm members pivoted to said back frame, a pair of parallel downwardly extending front leg members pivoted to said arm members and said seat frame, a pair of parallel strut members extending downwardly from said back frame below said seat frame and having projections thereon, a pair of parallel backwardly and downwardly-sloping back leg members pivoted to said front leg members and said seat frame and disposed beneath said projections, said back leg members having a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed notches in the upper surfaces thereof, said projections being arranged to slide along said uppersurfaces and said notches being adapted to receive said projections, and a fixed wire guard member affixed to each back leg member and arranged above said notches therein and above one of the projections, the combination of said seat frame. back frame and arm members being'supported in the front by said front leg members-for either forward or backward movement and being supported at the back by the said strut members and projections, said projections being disposed for movement in a forward direction along the rear leg members when the projections are disengaged from the notches and a load is applied on said back frame tending to move the samebackward, each guard member comprising a first portion affixed to a rear leg member and adapted to stop the adjacent projection against movement in a forward direction to prevent the backward collapsing of the chair upon dislodgment of said projections from said notches, an elongated second portion overlying said projection and arranged to limit but not prevent upward movement of said projection and to permit movement of said projection under said second portion when said projections are disengaged from said notches, and a third portion affixed to said rear leg member but permitting unobstructed rearward movement of said projections along said rear leg members for forwardly collapsing the chair when said projections are disengaged from said notches.

3. A folding chair comprising a seat frame, a back frame pivoted thereto, a pair of parallel arm members pivoted to said back frame, a pair of parallel downwardly extending front leg members pivoted to said arm members and said seat frame, a pair of projections connected with said back frame, a pair of parallel backwardly and downwardly sloping back leg members pivoted to said front leg members and disposed beneath said projections, said back leg members having a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed notches in the upper surfaces thereof, said projections being arranged to slide along said upper surfaces and said notches being adapted to receive said projections, and a fixed wire guard member aflixed to each back leg member and arranged above notches therein and above one of the projections, the combination of said seat frame, back frame and arm members being supported in the front by said front leg members for either forward or backward movement and being supported at the back by the said projections, said projections being disposed for movement in a forward direction along the rear leg members when a load is applied on said back frame tending to move the same backward, each guard member comprising a first portion affixed to a rear leg member and adapted to stop the adjacent projection against movement in a forward direction to prevent the backward collapsing of the chair upon dislodgment of said projections from said notches, an elongated second portion overlying said projection and arranged to limit but not prevent upward movement of said projection and to permit movement of said projection under said second portion when said projections are disengaged from said notches, and a third portion affixed to said rear leg member but permitting unobstructed rearward movement of said pro- .ljections along said rear leg members for forwardly collapsing the chair when said projections are disengaged from said notches, said second portion being extended rearwardly to permit complete forward collapsing of said chair without movement of the projections from under the said guards, and said third portion being secured to the upper surface of said rear leg member to close said guard about said projection.

4. A folding chair comprising a seat frame, a back frame pivoted thereto, a pair of arm members pivoted to said back frame, a pair of downwardly extending front leg members pivoted to said arm members and seat frame, a pair of strut members extending downwardly from said back frame below said seat frame and having projections thereon, a pair of backwardly and downwardly sloping back leg members pivoted to said front leg members and said seat frame and disposed beneath said projections, said projections being arranged to slide along the upper surfaces of said back leg members, and a fixed wire guard member secured to a back leg member and arranged above one of said projections, the combination of said seat frame, back frame and arm members being supported in the front by said front leg members for either forward or backward movement and being supported at the back by the said strut members and projections, said projections being disposed for movement in a forward direction along the said leg members when the projections are disengaged from the notches and a load is applied to said back frame tending to move the same backward, said guard member comprising a first portion adapted to stop said projection against movement in the said forward direction to prevent the backward collapsing of the chair, an elongated second portion overlying said projection and arranged to limit upward movement of said projection and to permit movement of said projection under said second portion whereby said projection is movable rearwardly along said rear leg member for forwardly collapsing the chair, said second portion being extended rearwardly to permit complete forward collapsing of the chair without movement of the projection from under the said guard, and a downwardly extending third portion closing said guard about the projection.

ALFRED F. VANDERMINDEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 668,489 Collingnon Feb. 19, 1901 979,149 Gay Dec. 20, 1910 1,879,487 Rastetter Sept. 27, 1932 1,985,823 Freedman Dec. 25, 1934 2,222,296 Luiken Nov. 19, 1940 2,260,735 Benjamin Oct. 28, 1941 2,333,761 Beeskow Nov. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 170,111 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1921 330,977 Great Britain June 23, 1930 

